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Nonfiction Reading: Did We Know This Already?

The results of a promising study in New York were released last week (link above) showing that a reading curriculum based on developing nonfiction reading skills creates stronger readers. Are we surprised? The study was designed by the Core Knowledge people and takes place in an environment in which states are adopting the Common Core Standards. (At last count, forty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards.)

The study does have some critics, who point out that the schools using the Core Knowledge materials in this particular study were supported by extra monies. Nonetheless, those of us who work in and love nonfiction feel the intuitive logic of the study’s outcome. Nonfiction is good for your health!

Check in again in two weeks for more from TFCB.

[My colleague and office neighbor Andrew Karre took this photo of me in my office, reading one of TFCB’s nonfiction titles]